U-Choose/Recovery Community Program Portfolio Management Criteria Analysis

Transcription

1 U-Choose/Recovery Community Program Portfolio Management Criteria Analysis Demand Criteria: 1. Program Essentiality and Potential The primary functions of the U-Choose program are to: Comply with federal and state laws concerning alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and abuse prevention, such as The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 which requires institutions receiving federal financial assistance to establish AOD prevention and intervention programs for students and employees. Provide ongoing evidence-based education and prevention strategies for the purpose of preventing alcohol abuse and other drug use. Develop and increase collaboration in AOD prevention efforts among the University s internal partners and with other local, state, and national partners. Provide a reasonable level of care for individuals who are misusing, dependent on or in recovery from alcohol or other drugs. Provide a safe and welcoming campus environment where students in recovery can receive support while working to obtain a college degree. U-Choose currently collaborates with the following external constituencies: The City Attorney s office and the St. Cloud Police Department in the operation of the St. Cloud IMPACT Diversion program. This program offers individuals who have been charged with an underage alcohol violation the opportunity to receive education and prevention services in lieu of a fine. The St. Cloud Community Alliance (SCCA) was implemented by U-Choose to reduce the incidence of high-risk drinking and its harmful consequences in the St. Cloud community. Mayor Kleis and President Potter are co-chairs of the SCCA. Membership is comprised of individuals throughout the community. We currently partner with SCTCC to offer U-Choose programming on their campus. 2. Demand Despite our success in reducing the prevalence of high-risk drinking among our existing student body, we know that the need for our services will continue because alcohol use among college students typically begins long before college entry. Current results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) have shown that in 2013, the average age of first alcohol use was 17.3 years. Students who drink alcohol during high school are likely to continue their drinking patterns in college. We anticipate that there will be greater demand for services related to marijuana education and prevention. With marijuana de-criminalization having already occurred in three states, use rates across the country are increasing rapidly. The MN Department of

2 Human Services is reporting that admissions to treatment centers in the state are at record levels. We will need to invest more resources into prevention, intervention and recovery support to combat these trends. As colleges are placing a high priority on improving their graduation rates, there is also a trend nationally to address the more subtle academic costs of college drinking and drug use. Colleges are now taking a closer look at how substance use and mental health problems might contribute to academic problems affecting students, starting with missing class, through failing grades, to dropping out. By interfering with the achievement of educational goals, substance use can be viewed as having academic opportunity costs, which ultimately can undermine a student s ability to fulfill his/her individual potential. 3. Strategic Alignment The mission of the U-Choose program is to reduce high-risk drinking and drug use among our students. This mission directly relates to the academic, personal, physical and mental wellbeing of our students. Students who engage in high-risk drinking do not perform as well academically as students who drink at low-risk levels. Based on our 2014 College Student Health Survey data, students who engage in high-risk drinking are about 3.5 times more likely to miss class and 3 times more likely to do poorly on a test or class project. Best practice research and the National Institute for Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse state that an environmental management approach to collegiate alcohol prevention is necessary to create long-term change. Partnerships and collaboration are necessary to implement and sustain this approach. To this end, we have developed strong external partnerships that address the impact of alcohol and other drugs and strengthen our capacity to serve our students and the surrounding community. For example, the City IMPACT Diversion Program is a result of collaboration among U-Choose, the City Attorney s Office and the St. Cloud Police Department. This program expands the reach of our prevention programming, which has led to significant reductions in high-risk drinking rates while also reducing recidivism rates for minor consumption citations in the city. The St. Cloud Community Alliance (SCCA) also exemplifies partnership and collaboration. The SCCA seeks to engage a wide array of community members to reduce high risk drinking and the associated negative impacts on our community. The strength of the SCCA comes from the engagement of community members working together to find solutions to a common problem. Membership includes participants from K-12, downtown council, law enforcement, hospitality association, students, city council, parents, health care groups and community service agencies. U-Choose seeks to align further with strategic priorities by engaging students in and outside of the classroom to create an integrated student experience that helps students make safe and healthy choices regarding alcohol. U-Choose staff attempts to facilitate the integrated student experience through multiple activities and venues during a student s time at SCSU.

3 Another key element of our AOD prevention program is intervening with and treating students who are struggling with alcohol or other substances. We work closely with faculty/staff members in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Student Health Services (SHS) practitioners to conduct screenings with students and make referrals to community agencies and providers as needed. U-Choose also works collaboratively with CAPS and Residential Life to operate the SCSU Recovery Community. The goals of this program include academic, economic and social success for students in recovery and continued abstinence from alcohol and drugs. In order to meet these goals, we provide dedicated housing, customized programming, peer support and clinical services. U-Choose and its collaborative partners are helping to change the culture of alcohol in our community. Through continued successful reduction of high-risk drinking and drug use by our students, we will be able to better educate, retain and graduate students. Further, this work continues to enhance the reputation of SCSU as a comprehensive university that offers a high quality, affordable education while transforming our students and the communities where they live and work. 4. Student Experience and Campus Community Success In 2005, results from a college student health assessment indicated that over 58% of our students reported engaging in high risk drinking (defined as 5 or more alcohol beverages in a sitting) within the last two weeks. As of 2014, the high risk-drinking rate at SCSU has fallen 52%, to 27.8% (below the national average). This achievement has brought significant attention to SCSU and the city of St. Cloud, primarily because of the partnerships that have developed and evolved to make this change possible. Further evidence of effectiveness is demonstrated in the assessment of individuals who complete the IMPACT/Diversion program. The self-reported mean peak BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) of participants has dropped from.14 pre-impact to.07 ninety days post-impact, a decrease of approximately 50%. The Diversion program has also resulted in an 83% reduction in underage consumption recidivism for participants. The IMPACT Diversion program was the recipient of the Association for Student Conduct Administration Innovation Award in This prevention work has paved the way for SCSU to receive sizeable grants including a $77,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation to support development of our recovery community and a $305,000 Federal suicide prevention grant through SAMHSA. This grant helped enhance services for students struggling with high-risk substance use as well as those with depression and other mental health concerns. As a result of these efforts, SCSU was one of 55 colleges and universities selected to join The Jed & Clinton Health Matters Campus Program in 2014 to support student wellbeing and mental health.

4 5. Quality and Continuous Improvement as Evidenced through Assessment and Evaluation The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act requires institutions of higher education to conduct a biennial review of their alcohol and other drug policies and prevention programs in order to identify and implement needed changes. One of the primary objectives of the biennial review process is to determine the effectiveness of, and to implement any needed changes to the institution s Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) prevention program. The Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board at SCSU, under the leadership of the Assistant Dean of Students, engages in a thorough review and assessment of our campus AOD prevention programs every two years. The 2014 Biennial Review report can be found on the Student Life and Development website under the Reports tab located on the left side of the webpage. Reports from previous years can also be found in this same location. The link to the website where the Biennial Review can be found is: Since the fall of 2007, the U-Choose program has been educating students across campus. The primary intervention utilized by U-Choose is an interactive, small group based, 90- minute presentation that helps students learn to reduce high risk drinking and associated negative consequences. This intervention was developed utilizing BASICS techniques (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students developed by Dimeff, Baer, Kivlaham & Marlatt, 1999). BASICS is a first-tier intervention strategy identified by the NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism): first-tier intervention strategies have been demonstrated to be most effective among college students. 6. Costs and Productivity The following initiatives are in the long-term strategic plan for the U-Choose program, but have not been implemented due to lack of resources: We currently do not offer a mandated population level alcohol and other drug prevention program for all new students. This is considered a best practice approach to prevention on college campuses because it ensures that all students have a baseline level of alcohol prevention knowledge. A recent national study indicated that students travelling abroad are at higher risk for engaging in dangerous alcohol consumption. We would like to have a mandatory prevention program for students travelling abroad to teach those who choose to drink harm reduction techniques. It would be customized to the country of interest to ensure that the laws of the country regarding AOD use are clearly explained. We have had preliminary meetings with ISD 742 leadership about creating a U- Choose course for students who have violated AOD policies in middle school or high school and their parents. This could be a potential opportunity for revenue generation, but we have not had the capacity to develop this idea further.

5 In order to reduce costs in our area, we have co-located with the Student Health Services Health Promotion program. We have been able to reduce student employment costs by cross training employees to serve needs in both areas, thus reducing the overall number of student employees needed. Other cost savings related to co-locating include reductions in expenses related to space rental, supplies and printing. 7. Adequacy of Current Resources The Coordinator for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Programs position was developed in 2010 as a fixed term position, contingent on funds generated by individuals being cited for alcohol related violations on and off campus. The position is responsible for coordinating and managing all alcohol and other drug prevention and intervention activities including the operations of the U-Choose, IMPACT and St. Cloud City Diversion programs. We cannot be dependent on alcohol related violations and citations to generate the revenue necessary to sustain and build upon these efforts. Ultimately, under the current financial model, the more successful our efforts to reduce high risk drinking and related harms, the less revenue we generate, putting our ability to sustain these programs at risk. We have made significant operational cuts over the past 2 years, but the decline in minor consumption citations in the community continues to negatively impact our operational budget. If the institution is able to provide support by paying the Coordinator salary and benefits, the programs outlined can be sustained and expanded upon to address evolving campus and community prevention needs. Additionally, our area has assumed responsibility for oversight of the SCSU Recovery Community. Expansion of this program will require additional resources such as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) to work with program participants and to facilitate screenings and referrals for students struggling with substance use.